At a press conference immediately after Dame Janet Smith made the phase one announcement on July 19, 2002, Ms Alexander recalled how the families had to take the government to court to ensure any review would be transparent.

This followed health secretary, Alan Milburn's view that the inquiry should be conducted swiftly behind closed doors.

"This week the families of those whose deaths have been examined by the inquiry have learned whether their relatives were amongst his victims or not," Ms Alexander said.

"My thoughts are with them all and, in particular, those who have had their worst fears confirmed.

"I suspect that none of us will ever be able to appreciate what these families have been through and how they are now feeling.

"Their private pain is made the harder to bear by there having become the often reluctant participant in a story played out in the full glare of the world's media.

"Although the report is now in the public domain it will some time before the relatives and families concerned can come to terms with what has happened.

"For those who have chosen to not speak in public we would implore the media to respect their privacy.

"I would also like to thank Dame Janet Smith and the whole inquiry team for the meticulous care they have handled each individual case.

"On the families behalf, I appreciate the empathetic, yet thorough, way it has been analysed and its decisions have been reached.

"I would also like to commend the way in which both the inquiry legal and my team at Alexander Harris, and our counsel have been able to work together in an atmosphere of full co-operation and consultation.

"It will be recalled that we had to go to the High Court to win this public inquiry and I firmly believe the decision of the families to fight for the public inquiry has been wholly vindicated by the process to date.

"It is important to remember that this is the conclusion of only the first phase of the inquiry and the Shipman Inquiry continues examining the systemic and personal failures that allowed Shipman to continue to kill again and again.

"Public scrutiny has revealed the manifest shortcomings in the first police investigation.

"For example there has been the opportunity to investigate what went wrong and how this can be put right to ensure nothing like this can ever happen again.

"This would probably have been missed if this inquiry hadn't been in the public.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we would never have got to the truth if it had been held in private.

"It was admitted during the course of the evidence that much of the information would simply not have come to light had the Laming Inquiry continued and the police have admitted that the first investigation itself was flawed.

"Evidence has also come to light which suggests the police's own internal investigation into that first investigation was also flawed.

"I believe that all of this would have been buried but for the public nature of this important inquiry.

"The careful approach of Dame Janet to the evidence and the manner in which she has conducted this inquiry would truly see justice is done and ensure lessons are learned.

"There simply could not have been achieved behind closed doors and away from the public gaze.

"From the very start when we judicially reviewed the secretary of state to health, Alan Milburn's decision to hold the inquiry in private - our main reasons were to ensure the inquiry would be transparent and that no stone would be left unturned.

"Those families who took action to ensure this inquiry was in public can feel totally vindicated.

"They did not wish the inquiry to sacrifice thoroughness for speed and they have not been disappointed."